Waiting
by ignis'caereleus
Summary: A little story about Mai and Zuko.


DISCLIMER:

I DON'T OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER BLAH BLAH BLAH ETCETERA ETCETERA…

AUTOR NOTE:

So after lots and lots of months reading fanfics and meditating about it (or something like that), I finally did my first fanfic. So read and review.

Every time That Mai looks back, she realizes that she has been waiting her whole life when it comes to Zuko.

When she is 8 she sit patiently waiting for him to pass by her side; and hopefully this time he'll realize she is there…

That never happens, of course, he usually walk by the corridor with his mother or some teacher by his side, a determinate look on his face, like if he could see himself in the distance, a respected admired Firenation General, a great warrior, a great prince.

If you'll ask Zuko about Azula's friends, he'll probably say "I don't really care", and he is honest about it, all he cares about is to be better at everything he does: a better student, a better firbender, a better prince, so his father see he is worthy, so he'll be proud, so he'll love him… it's that the reason he force himself everyday to improve, but fail, because how can he possible compare to his perfect sister.

Like a hurricane taking everything from its proper place, Zuko's life change from one day to another. Firelord Azulon is dead, Prince Ozai is now the heir to the crown and Princess Ursa, is gone, and with her, he felt like everything he knew, everything he had was gone too, his father is always busy, Azula is always bossy, and he is just… lost, with no mark to guide on him.

Proper ladies never talk in the presence of men unless they're ask to do so, mother always tell Mai whit the other thousands of things that proper ladies shouldn't do. But is not like there's any need to do so, she already knows by heart all those rules, and she will definitely never talk to anyone if she can help it, but when she sees Zuko for the first time since his father coronation she can't help but break that rule, he look so… sad.

"Good day, prince Zuko" she said. But apparently he is too absorbed in his own thoughts to realize there was someone in the garden with him.

On the same instant that Mai spoke, she regrets it, but do the fact that Zuko hasn't heard her, she decide to leave. Unfortunately as she try to turn around a turtleduck gave her away making so much noise that Zuko look at the source of the sound finding Mai's face as red as the apples of the tree he was leaning on.

"Hello Zu-zuko" she tried again.

"What do you want?" He said a little rude.

He may be cute and a prince, and heir to the throne, but she was not going to let him, or anyone talk to her like that.

"oh, I am sorry, I think I made a mistake, I thought you were Prince Zuko and not some rude, disgusting peasant", she answer in a voice so even and terse that Zuko had to process for a few moments in his head before he realized it was an insult.

As she turns to leave, he asked her: "what does Azula wants?"

"And how should I know?" she answer not looking at him, but then she hears him sigh and she stops. "Are you ok?" she said letting worry show in her voice.

"What?" he ask skeptical.

And then she turns around and walks to the place he is sitting. "Are you ok?" she repeated as she sit in front of him whit a grace that Zuko find fascinating. He looks puzzle by her question and looks directly at her eyes, and in that moment is when Mai remembers she doesn't like to talk, and much less to the boy she has a crush, feels the butterflies in her belly and the heat in her cheeks but takes a deep breath, and looks back at him waiting for an answer she already knows.

"Mother wants to make a party… " Mai says, as they sit near the turtleduck pound, it took months, but Zuko finally trusts her, after several burned dolls, and dresses courtesy of Azula's frustration at the empty, superficial answers Mai always give to her interrogations about their talks.

To Mai it was actually funny, like she cares about dresses or dolls, but she was so proud of herself the time Zuko introduced her to his uncle like "my friend Mai", she was also proud of being available to have a conversation whit him whit out blushing or averting her eyes every time he looked at her.

"You know for my birthday", she continues.

"Mn" has his only replay, to concentrated in secret war meetings he wasn't allowed to witness, and shy smiles, and firebending training, and black shinny hair, and history lessons, and the sweet smell of cherry blossoms that was her perfume, and … "what, your birthday?"

"Yeah, next Friday" she answered. "Will you like to go? It's not going to be something big, you know just you, and Azula and Ty and some cousins…"

"Sure, I'll be there Mai".

And so the hurricane came back when he dare to speak in that war meeting and once again he was left whit nothing, not home, not honor, not Mai…

All he has is an old ship and an Old Uncle to help him get what rightful belonged to him.

AUTOR'S NOTE:

Thank you for reading.

Well, there you have it, if you manage to go through the story, please, please review, tell me what you liked or disliked and I promise to take your opinions in consideration.


End file.
